One of Us
by PeoniesandPoppies
Summary: When Gajeel and Juvia flee from their pack to find a new life, they never expected this. *Rated M for possible future smut*
1. Chapter 1

**One of Us**

Another new multi chapter.

I have so many story ideas that it is killing me.

So, I decided to begin working on ALL OF THEM.

And then, I will just update as the feeling strikes me, like I already do.

* * *

The night sky blanketed the dense forest in a twinkling darkness masked by a veil of fog. Gathered all around were wolves of many assortments.

All colors, shapes and sizes of wolves were present as the pack welcomed their new Alpha, Jose.

Their previous Alpha had passed on in a battle for territory and a new one had to be chosen.

Jose was the next in Line, son of the previous Alpha, Jorge. Jorge was a good man and an inspirational leader who kept the pack together like family.

His passing was a tragedy felt by all. Jose was never close with the pack. He was cold, manipulative and dark in nature.

He had always been this way, even as a child. Though he was rightfully the new Alpha, the pack was unsettled by his transition to power.

The most unsettled by this development were Juvia and Gajeel, two wolves who were closest to Jorge.

Jose had tried to take Juvia as his mate long ago, but she refused him. Now that he was Alpha, he could try again, and her refusal could have consequences.

Gajeel was protective of Juvia like a brother. He knew how Jose was and agreed it wasn't safe for them to stay.

After the gathering, Gajeel and Juvia prepared to leave the pack and never return. It was their home, but Jose was no leader to be followed.

They packed light and set off together, not knowing where they would go, only that they couldn't stay.

In their wolf forms they ran through the trees with their bags strapped onto them. Gajeel's fur was jet black and always caught the light of the moon perfectly when he ran.

Juvia's fur was white like fresh fallen snow, not much different from her human skin. She stood out from all the rest in their pack, a stark contrast from all the others.

The two runaway wolves have little memory of their parents. When they were young, their parents were killed by Vampires.

The feud between Vampires and Werewolves is a tale as old as time, but Juvia never understood it. Gajeel hated Vampires, all of them.

They took away his family all because of a silly feud. He couldn't even stand the word Vampire. Juvia did not share his sentiments.

It was true, Vampires had wronged her and her loved ones, but she couldn't allow herself to believe that all of them were bad.

She wasn't bad, but she was a wolf. Surely there had to be some Vampires out there that wouldn't hate her automatically, right?

She didn't need or want the acceptance of Vampires, but she just couldn't imagine every single vampire being full of such hate for someone like her.

They ran for hours, stopping only once the sun appeared in the sky. They weren't sure where they had arrived, but they needed rest.

Slowly, they sniffed the area, searching for any signs of humans. The last thing they needed was to have humans catching them as they phased back to their human forms.

That would be troublesome. Gajeel didn't mind covering his tracks all that much, but Juvia saw humans as her equal and couldn't muster the will to end a life.

Once they were sure the area was clear, the two wolves began the process of transforming to their human forms.

Juvia quickly stepped out of the harness and dug into her bag for clothes. She hated being naked around people.

Much like a human, she cared about whether people saw her naked or not. Most wolves didn't care about things like that, but Juvia was not most wolves.

Gajeel took his time getting dressed, not caring for Juvia's innocent eyes in the least.

"Oi, Juves. How much Jewel ya got?" The studded wolf man called over his shoulder.

She hummed as she dug through her bag and found her wallet.

"Juvia has... 800 Jewel."

He grunted and sat on the grass beneath him.

"Hm.. That won't last."

She stuffed her wallet back into her bag and sat down beside him.

"No, but we can stay outside and hunt for food."

He nodded.

"Yeah. We can do that. We're wolves, ain't we?"

She smiled and stood to her feet.

"We will be alright!"

He shook his head and grinned.

"Ya sure perk up fast."

She shrugged and crossed her arms.

"Not exactly... Gajeel Kun, where do we go now?"

He glanced over his shoulder to find the she wolf looking concerned.

"Not sure yet. We'll figure it out."

She sighed and rolled out her sleeping bag, dragging it and her bag to a spot hidden by a large rock and tree.

Gajeel did the same, settling his bed beside hers.

"Get some rest. We'll hunt for food and head off again when we wake up."

She curled up in her sleeping bag and yawned.

"Okay..."

As she slowly succumbed to sleep, she wondered what life was like outside of the pack. Would she meet other wolves or even other types of monsters?

Maybe even Vampires? The thought of running into Vampires made her cringe. Gajeel would not be friendly and it could end in blood shed.

She pushed the thought away and tried to imagine herself surrounded by a big family.

She would miss having a pack, but Jose was the worst Alpha their pack could have ever been cursed with.

She would be surprised if her and Gajeel were the only ones that left.

Gradually, the darkness overcame her and sleep took over.

Her dreams consisted of running in the moonlight with family by her side.

This was her greatest wish.

* * *

 ***AUTHOR'S NOTE***

Chapter two will be Gajeel and Juvia traveling to Magnolia.

I hope you like it!


	2. Chapter 2

**One of Us Ch. 2: If My Heart Could Beat**

This chapter was meant to just be Gajeel and Juvia traveling, but if I had done that, it would have been too short.

So, instead I am merging the original plans for this chapter with the plans for what would have been chapter 3.

I hope you guys like this! :)

* * *

Their fur whipped in the breeze around them as they ran through the vacant woods, going nowhere in particular. A soft whimper was heard from Juvia as they raced along.

They had been on the run for weeks and Juvia was beginning to lose her mind. Gajeel was fine with running as he was the loner type, anyhow.

But, Juvia was special. She needed to be surrounded by love and family at all times. She had Gajeel, but she still felt a pang of emptiness within herself.

Gajeel heard her cry, but continued running. They still had an hour before they would need to stop for rest, she could whine to him later, he decided.

Gajeel loved Juvia. He never said it out loud, but she was his family and the only wolf he would ever consider running with.

Although Gajeel was part of a pack, he preferred being alone. He knew that Juvia couldn't keep this up forever and that she would want to settle somewhere soon.

He just had to be sure they were far enough away from their old pack. He growled quietly to himself as he silently asked her to wait just a little longer.

An hour pushed into two as Gajeel concluded that another hour wouldn't kill them. Juvia could beg to differ.

When he finally came to an abrupt halt, Juvia let out an annoyed bark.

She looked around and sulked at her surroundings. More dark and lonely woods. She was beginning to think that this was all she would see for the rest of her life.

With her head hung low, she wandered off into some shrubbery to phase. Gajeel phased out in the open with zero concern for nudity.

Juvia was about to emerge from the shrubbery fully clothed when she got an alarming eye full. She scoffed and sunk back into the bushes until he had covered himself.

"I'm decent, Juves. Come on out." He chuckled.

He found her shyness to be quite comical. She grew up in a pack of naked wolves and yet, here she was, acting like a timid human.

"Juvia doesn't understand why Gajeel Kun can't just phase privately." She chided.

He crossed his arms and grinned.

"Why? Ain't nobody here. Gihi."

She narrowed her eyes and pouted.

"Juvia's here."

He shrugged.

"You'll live."

She growled low in her throat as she turned to get her sleeping bag. As she settled into her makeshift bed, she sighed dejectedly.

"Look... I know ya wanna settle... So, I think we have traveled far enough." He offered.

Her eyes lit up and she smiled brightly.

"Does Gajeel Kun mean it?!"

He grunted in response, shutting his eyes to find sleep.

"We'll search the area in the morning. If we are gonna make this our new home, we gotta learn the ins and outs."

She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut happily. She couldn't wait for their new life to begin.

* * *

The next morning Gajeel and Juvia ventured off into town for the very first time. It was a nice town full of cheery humans.

Juvia delighted in her new surroundings, wanting to take in as much as she could. Gajeel didn't care much for it, but if she liked it, that was good enough for him.

They wandered the streets, memorizing the names and shops.

Gajeel insisted that they price some apartments and look for job openings if they wanted to make this permanent.

Juvia was over the moon with joy. They ventured to three different apartment buildings near town that were reasonably priced, however, job hunting wasn't as pleasant.

Because they grew up in an isolated village with their pack, they never interacted much with human society.

They knew how to fit in with humans when necessary, but not how to live among them.

They had no qualifications and things weren't looking too promising for them after all.

Seeing Juvia's dismay at their new predicament, Gajeel came up with an idea. It wasn't the best plan, but it was the best they had.

"Oi, don't worry 'bout it. Humans like entertainment. Why don't we do our routine like we used to, huh?"

When they were younger, Gajeel and Juvia used to venture off into the local town near their village and perform for jewel.

Originally, they both sang together even though Gajeel was terrible at it.

One day, a kind old man that owned a local music shop brought Gajeel a guitar and taught him how to play.

The old man, Metallicana, was like a father figure to Gajeel for a long time until he died. Metallicana's death was sudden and strange, but there was nothing that could be done.

They stopped performing after that.

Juvia looked to Gajeel with great concern, but he could see the hope flickering in her eyes like a dying candle.

"It's fine, Juves. I said we're gonna settle. I meant it."

He ruffled her hair playfully and smirked. She still seemed hesitant, but nodded and smiled. She was grateful to have him.

He didn't have to settle down, not for her or anyone, but here he was, settling down. She wondered how she got so lucky to find such a great big brother.

Later that night they sat by a fire deep in the woods far from the town.

Gajeel had caught rabbits for dinner and Juvia had gathered some lake water and boiled it for drinks.

After finishing their meal, Gajeel pulled out his old guitar and tuned the strings as Juvia watched him sorrowfully.

The last time she had ever seen him play was just before they had gone into the town that day.

Gajeel had always been a little rough, but after losing Metallicana, he only got worse. As far as she knew, he hadn't strummed a single chord since.

He looked up through strands of long black hair that curtained his face. He could practically feel the concern radiating off of her in waves.

He sighed and continued tuning.

"Juves, I said it's fine. Quit lookin' at me like that. I'm not an injured pup, alright?"

She clenched her fists and closed her mouth tightly, nodding. She knew he was fine, but she couldn't help but feel pain when she remembered a time when he wasn't.

He stopped tuning when he felt the sound was just right. He grunted and adjusted his position on the fallen tree where he was perched.

"Ya ready? Pipes ain't gone rusty, right?" He teased.

She smiled and shook her head.

"Nope! Juvia can do it!" She cheered.

He chuckled and plucked at the strings, bringing forth a tune that was comforting to them both.

This was a song that was sang to the pups of the pack before bed by Jorge's mate, Olivia. She passed on a year before George, but her song lived on.

Tears pricked at Juvia's eyes as her voice filled the peaceful woods with Olivia's melody. Olivia was a mother figure for her, for all of them in a way.

She died of heart failure, which was expected as she had always had a weak heart. She rarely took wolf form because of it.

Although her passing wasn't much of a surprise, it was still very painful for all of them.

 _ **Run through the forest**_

 _ **Feel the breeze**_

 _ **Look to the moon**_

 _ **That's where I'll be**_

 _ **Watching over you**_

 _ **As you grow big and strong**_

 _ **Find comfort in me**_

 _ **When you feel you can't go on**_

 _ **Howl to the stars**_

 _ **Believe in who you are**_

 _ **I'll always be with you**_

 _ **Just look to the sky**_

 _ **I'll shine down on you**_

 _ **On the darkest nights**_

 _ **Never forget the wind in your fur**_

 _ **Or the sand on your paws**_

 _ **Remember that wolves are never alone**_

 _ **Look to the moon**_

 _ **And run**_

As the last chord faded into silence both sat completely still without a word.

As children, they never understood why the song sounded like it was from someone who was long gone.

After Olivia died, they came to find out that she had left this song behind as a comfort for her passing.

She had known for a while that she would die soon and wanted to leave the children with a meaningful memory.

So, as the children grew up she would sing them this song. Olivia's lullaby, her goodbye.

Juvia heard Gajeel sniffle in the silence but said nothing. He cleared his throat and set his guitar beside him.

"Ya sound just like 'er." He mumbled under his breath, but Juvia heard him.

She looked up to the sky and smiled at the moon.

"Juvia wants to run." She stood from her spot on the tree and disappeared into the shrubbery, emerging a few minutes later with her snowy fur glowing in the moonlight.

He stared at her for a moment before cracking a smile. She turned away as he undressed and phased.

He quickly padded over to her and nodded.

That night, they ran under the light of the moon feeling like for once, they were free.

* * *

They had been living in the woods outside of the town of Magnolia for a couple of months now.

They were performing regularly, mostly songs from their village, but some well known human songs were also played. Ones that Metallicana had taught them long ago.

Money was still tight, but they were saving as much as they could. They hunted for food and drank from the lake.

The woods served as their home, which wasn't unusual for wolves like them. However, if they were going to live among humans, they needed a change.

While Gajeel went on a hunt, Juvia decided to go into town to pick up some new job applications.

They had already applied nearly everywhere, but it couldn't hurt to try again, right?

She stopped into 4 different stores and acquired two applications for each.

She glided across the empty street, gently shoving the applications into her bag as she admired the glow of the rising moon from the corner of her navy eyes.

When she made it to the other side, she wasn't paying attention and she collided into a man. His scent filled her nostrils and sent her hair on end.

She had run into a vampire. She knew he would be able to smell that she was a wolf and she prayed he was a friendly vampire.

She had no intentions to fight tonight or ever.

It's not that she couldn't fight, she was actually one of the strongest females in the pack, the problem was that Juvia didn't care for fighting.

She was a gentle soul and fighting really wasn't exactly on her list of favorite activities, unlike Gajeel.

She jumped back and smiled apologetically, ignoring the fact that he most certainly knows what she is.

"Juvia is so sorry! She needs to go! Sorry!" She waved her hands in front of her frantically as she ran backwards down the sidewalk away from him.

He stared after her with a blank expression. Emotionless. It really creeped her out. She turned abruptly into the wood line and ran, praying that he wouldn't come after her.

As she vanished into the trees, the vampire straightened up and slowly began walking towards where she disappeared. He had never smelled anything like her before.

He knew all kinds of monsters and their unique scents, but hers didn't match any from his knowledge base. What was she?

He couldn't let her go. He had to know what she was. His curiosity pushed him forward and he ran after her. He took to the trees to follow her without being caught.

He stayed a distance away, just far enough to go undetected but still have a clear view. He followed her deep into the woods until she came to a sudden halt.

Much to his surprise, she stripped down. He felt odd watching, but he didn't understand why she would need to undress in the middle of the woods.

And then he understood. Right before his eyes, he saw a glow of white light, that oddly resembled the glow of the moon, surrounding her.

The glowing form changed shape and when it faded away, instead of a girl, there was a stunning white wolf. He watched as the wolf grabbed the bag on the ground and ran off.

"Werewolf." He whispered to himself. He had never met a wolf before. Werewolves had been banished from Magnolia for centuries.

This was Vampire country, so why was there a wolf here? Were there more? He had so many questions.

He only knew one thing for sure. He had to tell the coven.

* * *

"Gray, my boy. What is your rush?" The elder Vampire, Makarov, asked curiously.

"Wolves." He stated firmly.

Makarov's eyes widened in alarm.

"Wolves? Are you sure?"

He nodded, but then waved his hand awkwardly and winced.

"Well, wolf. I ran into a female wolf just an hour ago. I didn't know what she was, so I followed her and caught her changing."

A snicker came from behind him. Natsu, his team mate and best frienemy clapped a hand onto his shoulder.

"Watched her change, huh? I always knew you were a pervert." He teased.

Gray tensed and threw his hands up.

"IT WASN'T LIKE THAT! I mean, yeah, I saw stuff, but only for a minute before she got all... Wolfy."

Lucy skipped into the room and giggled.

"Sure, if you say so." She whispered to Natsu, but everyone heard it. Nothing get's past Vampire ears.

" _Gray liiiiiiikes her_." She had sang into Natsu's ear.

Lucy was a respected member of the coven, but she wasn't a Vampire. She was a Fallen Angel.

When Angels lose their innocence, they are cast from the heavens and sent to Earthland.

She had been sent to Earthland to collect Natsu's soul over 50 years prior. You see, Lucy was no ordinary Angel. She was the Angel of Death.

You really wouldn't know it looking at her, though.

Natsu was set to die in a house fire that day, but before she could collect his soul a red headed Vampire, who she had now come to know as Erza, changed him.

Lucy became enamored with the soul that got away and began visiting him often. She was an official Fallen the second she fell in love with the Vampire.

Angels are forbidden to love because it conflicts with their purpose for existing, which is to maintain order and balance.

Personal relationships are messy and can cloud one's judgement. The moment she developed feelings of love for Natsu, she was banished from the Heavens.

She joined the coven shortly after and has been there ever since. She and Natsu got married 20 years ago, officially.

"I do not. I don't even know her." He argued.

"You don't have to know someone to like what you see. Was she pretty?" Erza waltzed into the room like she owned it and sat on the sofa, kicking her feet onto the table.

She smiled at Gray tauntingly, clearly screwing around with him for the hell of it.

"I dunno, I guess... HEY! THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" He shouted.

"Why're you yelling?" Wendy, a young vampire, natural born, whined as she tiredly wandered into the room.

Natural born vampires and creation vampires are different. Creation vampires are vampires that were once human.

Natural born are vampires that were born from other vampires through the natural breeding process, like humans.

Natural born vampires age until they reach their 20th year and then they age no more. Creation vampires can give birth to and impregnate other vampires.

Though Wendy is a natural born, her mother, Grandine, was killed 5 years ago by a hunter.

Shortly after her death, Wendy wandered into Magnolia and was brought to the coven by Jellal Fernandez. Jellal is a fellow Vampire who has a coven of sorts of his own.

While Fairy Tail, indeed, has a few mixed monsters, they are still mainly a Vampire coven. Jellal's group is a rag tag mix of monsters.

Instead of keeping the girl, he thought she would be better off with a coven of other vampires since she was still so young and learning.

Jellal is close with Fairy Tail, the coven, because of Erza. They are both Natural born and go way back. Centuries back. Their relationship is odd.

It is clear that they love one another romantically, but neither will admit it out loud. It's like they want to punish themselves.

"Sorry, Wendy." Gray huffed as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

The girl shrugged and crawled into Erza's lap. She had become a type of surrogate mother for the child.

At first, their team mates found it comical, but now it feels perfectly fitting.

Makarov looked around in annoyance. He was just notified of a werewolf sighting for the first time in centuries and these little shits are in here making jokes.

"Play time is over, ya brats. This is serious. Gray, could you find her again?" He asked hopefully.

Gray nodded.

"Probably."

Makarov looked around the room and rolled his eyes before begrudgingly reaching a decision.

"Take your team and watch her. Find out all you can. I don't care how long it takes. We have to keep Magnolia safe."

Wendy perked up and smiled.

"THE WHOLE TEAM?!" She squealed happily.

Makarov sighed and nodded, feeling like this was probably too large a group, but if there were more than one wolf, it could be in their best interest.

Wendy jumped excitedly from Erza's lap and called out of the room joyously.

"Charle! Happy! Lily! We're going on a mission!"

The three were cats entered the room together. Ah, yes. Were cats. Like were wolves, they are humans that transform into large felines.

But, unlike werewolves, they do not have bad blood with Vampires.

Charle, the were cat closest with the tiny natural born, is of average height with long, wavy white hair and fair skin with golden brown eyes.

Happy, the one closest with Natsu and Lucy is also of average height with short, messy blue hair and brown eyes and lightly tanned skin.

Lily, who tends to keep to himself when he isn't with his team, is rather tall with short, dark hair, gold eyes and caramel skin.

Lily happens to be Charle's father. Her mother, Shagotte, is also a part of the coven, but she prefers not to engage in missions with the team.

She does go on individual missions with Lily and Charle, though. Occasionally Happy tags along. Happy brought Charle onto their team as soon as he saw her.

She was his dream girl. That was 3 years ago. It took him 2 years to get her to agree to a date with him. Now they have at least 3 dates a week, usually over fish.

"What's the mission?" Happy asked as he dragged Charle over to where Natsu and Lucy were standing.

"Find the werewolf and watch her. We need to know if there are more and what they are planning, if anything. Understood?"

All of them nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now get out. You're all crowding my office. Shoo!" He shouted and waved his hands at them.

They all vacated the room and gathered in the main hall.

"So, when do we leave?" Natsu asked, looking to Gray.

"Where are we going?" Erza crossed her arms.

"She was running through the north woods outside of the the bar. If we run through there I am sure we will pick up her scent when we get close."

Erza shook her head.

"Gray, you can't rely on your smell. Wolves will smell us before we get close enough to smell them. You need something else."

He stared at the floor, pensive for a moment.

"Then we wait in the trees on that path until we see her, then we follow her to wherever she is staying." He shrugged.

Erza sighed and nodded.

"Alright. I guess this will have to do."

* * *

The large group scattered through the trees on the trail from the day before. They waited for hours.

This would bother average humans, but for immortals, this was nothing. They waited patiently in their designated spots for any sign of the she wolf.

Gray spotted her right away as she wandered through the forest at a leisurely pace in human form.

Her long cerulean curls swayed against her back and draped prettily over her shoulders.

She wore brown shorts and an olive green form fitting button up quarter sleeve shirt with brown hiking boots.

She certainly didn't look threatening.

His teammate's attention was pulled from their target and placed on him as they spotted him subconsciously leaning out of his tree, trying to get closer the wolf girl.

Wendy nudged him with her elbow and yanked him back. The rustling of the leaves and his annoyed grunt caught Juvia's attention and she began looking around wildly.

She searched the area with her eyes, but saw nothing, so she carried on at a much quicker pace.

"You act like you have never seen her before. She is the wolf, right?" Erza asked quietly from her tree beside his once Juvia was far enough away.

He looked away and crossed his arms.

"Yeah. That's her."

"What was that all about?" Natsu pressed on.

Lucy nodded.

"It's nothing. She'll be coming back through later, I'm sure. When she does, we can follow her and get this over with."

They all looked at him skeptically, but left it at that. Gray looked down to his necklace. A silver cross his father had given him before his passing over 100 years ago.

Erza also created Gray. She found him drowning in an icy river and saved him. If she hadn't turned him he would have died of hypothermia.

This was 90 years ago. Gray played with the cross in his fingers and closed his eyes. When he shut them, he saw her and quickly snapped them back open.

He swore if his heart could beat it would be loud enough for her to hear it in town. He tried to close his eyes once more, only to find her again.

He sat back on his branch and groaned. This mission was more than he bargained for, he just knew it.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Wellll... What do you think? :)

Next chapter will be the rest of their spy mission, them reporting their findings back to Makarov, and a werewolf vampire meeting. :)

Next story to be updated is Promises because it has gone without an update the longest. Lol.

I will try to update all of them as soon as I can.

I am trying!


	3. Chapter 3

**One of Us Ch. 3: Change**

It is here!

* * *

Her pace increased, the dead leaves crunching beneath her feet as she went. She had heard something move around her, she knew she had. And the scent she picked up in passing was so strong. It was familiar but, at the same time not. There was a hint of something she had known before, but it was lost in a sea of uncertainty. She felt eyes on her from all sides. It felt like all the walls were closing in. Faster, faster until she was sprinting, she pressed on. Maybe it was all in her mind. Perhaps that noise was merely some squirrels and the scent could have been anything.

When she found the street from the wood line she doubled over and took a deep breath. She had been on edge since running into that Vampire the day before. Her kind did not typically have pleasant experiences with those particular creatures of the night. He could have attacked her where she stood, but he didn't. She saw this as a positive until she remembered that they were out in the open in a human city. He couldn't very well attack her where everyone could see. She was certain that he had been able to detect her scent. Either he was friendly or unfamiliar with her kind. She waved off the second option. She couldn't imagine a vampire being unaware of werewolves. It was like they were programmed to be enemies. Juvia didn't hate vampires, but she didn't particularly trust them either.

Lost in her thoughts, she nearly ran into the door of the very establishment she had come to visit. In front of her was a large, brick building that was separated into three different places of business. She had applied for a job with Gajeel at two of the three, but was rejected by both. She was hoping the saying "Three times the charm" really had some truth behind it.

The establishment on the right end was a bar. Above the glass door was a wooden tavern sign with a little green fairy illustrated upon it. The Green Fairy was the local "watering hole" and Juvia had been told they didn't mind lack of experience. She had secured an application from them the day before, the day she ran into the Vampire. The woman who gave her the application was one of the owners. The bar was owned by four people, a group known as the "Thunder Legion" by locals. Juvia picked up many scents in the bar. Some human, vague scent of vampire and then there was a mix of unfamiliar scents. Non human, certainly, but what?

The woman who had given her the application, Evergreen, wasn't human. She could tell not just from her scent, but also from her eyes. They reminded her of a serpent. Gold with flecks of green and brown, and pupils the shape of vertical slits. She wore glasses which downplayed the inhuman quality of her eyes, but not enough to distract from them. They were captivating, like they were daring you to stare into them for eternity.

Juvia couldn't stop herself from losing her train of thought. She stood there with her application in hand at her side, staring into the woman's eyes like they held the answers to all the mysteries of the universe.

Evergreen smirked and leaned forward over the bar, her hand reaching over and snatching the application from Juvia's slack hand.

"Careful. Wouldn't want to turn to stone." She murmured as she scanned the paper. Hearing her voice, Juvia snapped out of her trance like state. Being a wolf, Juvia's hearing was better than most. She didn't understand what the woman meant by "turn to stone." Perhaps it was a phrase people around here used.

Ever hummed to herself and shrugged. She set the application on the counter in front of her and leaned forward so that she was staring directly into Juvia's eyes. Again, Juvia was under her spell. Evergreen groaned and reached under the counter, pulling out a pair of sunglasses. Her eyes squeezed shut and she quickly switched into the shades. Juvia was instantly released.

"Now... You really don't have any experience in anything I see. Fortunately, we don't really mind that here. Welcome to The Green Fairy, Juvia. Can you start tomorrow?"

Juvia nodded with a wide smile on her face.

"yes, Juvia can start tomorrow. Thank you so much for giving me a chance." Juvia was beyond excited. Things were finally looking up.

Evergreen smiled and took a small pile of beaded necklaces from the counter, placing them around the neck of a tall, male statue behind the counter. It looked as if it were laughing and had a rather interesting stick figure tattoo in the center of it's face. Whoever the sculptor was, they certainly had an interesting imagination. The guy sure was a character.

After placing the beads around it's neck, she took what appeared to be a box of valentines decorations from under the bar and began wrapping heart streamers around the statue. Juvia looked perplexed when Ever turned around to break out the pink and red glitter and glue sticks.

"What's the occasion?" She asked. Juvia was unfamiliar with human holidays and celebrations. Such decoration meant there had to be something special going on. Did humans make such displays for no reason? Or was this something unique to whatever this woman's species was? Juvia had no idea.

"Oh... This? Nothing special. Just having some fun. You're the only one here, so I have to do something to pass the slow hours, amirite?" Ever chuckled nervously and went back to her special brand of humiliation. Juvia nodded slowly, not fully understanding, but deciding she didn't really need to. She waved and backed out of her new place of work, eager to tell Gajeel of her job hunting victory.

As she left the bar and the door slammed shut, Ever smirked at the statue she was covering in unforgiving red glitter.

"Next time you wanna poke your nose in my love life, perhaps you will remember this moment. Poor Bixlow. Red really just is not your color." She stated smugly.

* * *

"She's coming." Erza stated calmly and quietly from the tree she shared with Wendy. Gray locked his eyes on the far end of the path where she would soon appear. He wondered if she would phase again. He had never met a wolf before, let alone watch one change forms. He felt eyes on him from across the path. Natsu was staring intently at him, curious about Gray's behavior. He had known Gray for nearly half a century and never once seen him act so compelled by anyone. This she wolf had an effect on him and Natsu wanted to know what.

Natsu turned to Lucy and nudged her side to get her attention. She turned to face him and smiled.

"What's wrong?" She frowned at his serious expression.

"Nothing... I just was wondering... You know how you still have your angel magic stuff? Do you think you could use it... You know... On Gray?" As an Angel of Death, Lucy had special abilities, some of which remained with her when she was marked a fallen and cast from the heavens so many years ago. She couldn't collect souls anymore, but all of her other abilities remained. She could predict death, life events and she could even read auras. Lucy crossed her arms and tilted her head in confusion.

"You want me to use my magic on him? Why?" She glanced in Gray's direction to see if he had heard them. If he had, he didn't show it. He kept his eyes focused on the trail.

"Yeah. He's just acting weird and I wanna know why. Do your thing, Luce!" He whispered eagerly. Lucy stared at him dully for a moment before releasing an indignant sigh.

"Alright, fine. Just this once." She closed her eyes and focused on Gray. When she opened her eyes she was sitting behind him, but not really. Her body was still with Natsu, but she had astral projected herself behind him. Her powers were weaker this way, but she could still do the job. She waved her hand a few inches from the skin on his back. He had stripped down during the wait for the wolf girl's return. As her hand waved over him, his aura revealed itself to her. It was all over the place. She had never witnessed such a messy aura. There were flashes of dark blue, black, gray, some green and some blood red. Overall, what she was reading was a cocktail of bad juju. Based on her reading, she was picking up confusion, longing, sadness, wonder and... hope. She found sparks of white flashing through his aura, quickly taking over like an out of hand batch of popcorn. The light took over and became so bright it was blinding. Fortunately, she was the only one who could see it. Suddenly it faded and pink light practically exploded from his body. This light could mean a few things, but when she saw the cause, she knew.

The she wolf skipped down the trail like a carefree child, her cerulean curls bouncing and swinging with every move she made. She was smiling like it was the best day of her life.

Gray was captivated by this wolf girl. Lucy would even say he was completely smitten. His Aura deepened the longer he stared. She smiled and shook her head. He was hopeless.

The girl stopped her frolicking and looked around suspiciously. After a few minutes of surveillance of the surrounding area, she began to strip down to her birthday suit.

Gray's Aura went a bright clear red and Lucy also noticed his body stiffen. She giggled to herself and returned to her body. Natsu grabbed her shoulders firmly.

"So what's wrong with him?" He asked with real concern. She laughed and shook her head. Lucy reached for Natsu's face and squished his cheeks together as she turned his head to face Gray in the tree across from them. He was leaning so far out of the tree that if Lily wasn't holding him by the waistband of his pants he would fall right out.

"Gray is in loooooove." She cooed. Natsu's eyes widened and he turned to her with a dopey grin.

"He is? Wait... He is in love... With the wolf chick?! Oh! Gramps is gonna LOVE that!" Natsu laughed and wiped his eyes. "He's so screwed."

Lucy scowled and swatted his arm.

"Hey, I'm not a vampire and we work just fine." She reminded him. He shook his head and crossed his arms.

"You're not a wolf. Wolves and vampires... Eh... We don't mix."

Lucy scoffed and turned her eyes back to Gray who was no longer there.

"Where'd he go?" She asked in a state of mild panic. Erza was already jumping to through the trees, Wendy, Carla, Happy and Lily following her lead.

"Chasing his 'girlfriend' probably. Let's go." He smirked and held out his arms towards her. Lucy rolled her eyes and extended her ebony wings. She embraced him tightly and took flight, following the others. He was heavy, but her wings were strong and durable. They caught up to the others quickly.

Gray lead the way, chasing after the snow white wolf like his very existence depended on it. He came to an abrupt halt, clinging to the trunk of the tree for balance as he wobbled on the branch from the impact. The wolf had stopped running and approached a tall man with long, unruly jet black hair, tanned skin and multiple piercings covering his face and forearms. The man reached down and patted her on the head. Gray became curious and strained his ears to listen in from the distance they were apart.

"Oy, Juves. Ya seem pretty happy. whattydya get yerself into?" The man asked with a sharp, playful smile. The white wolf dropped her purse from her mouth onto the ground in front of him. She poked her nose around inside the bag, pulling out her clothes. She carried the items in her mouth and hid behind a large row of shrubbery separating herself from him. He rolled his eyes and turned away with his arms crossed to give her extra privacy.

Gray noted that the two seemed close and while he couldn't smell him from that distance, he was sure that he was more than likely also a wolf. This thought set him on edge. What if she was with this guy? He was her own species and wolves did do that mating thing.

Gray gripped the tree tighter, cracking the bark beneath his stong, cold fingers. Ice formed beneath his hand, filling in the cracks of the broken bark. The air chilled around him and created a cloud of cold air surrounding him like a barrier.

Erza placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed in warning.

"I don't know what has you so upset, but you need to control yourself before you get us caught. You have been behaving strangely all day. Is there something you need to say?" He could feel her eyes on his back and slowly turned to face her, the chill around him fading. His ice blue eyes were harsh on her.

"It's nothing." He stated calmly. Erza was skeptical, but accepted his answer and retreated back to Wendy a few branches away. Natsu furrowed his brows and crossed his arms.

"Don't tell me he's jealous." He whispered to Lucy as she carried him overhead. She smirked and landed on a nearby tree top.

"Oh, yeah. Big time."

Although his chill had faded, Gray was still icing up the tree branch. Lily had to move to another branch just so he wouldn't slip and fall. Not all vampires have abilities like this, but some do. Only creation vampires get these abilities and only if their experiences before turning were particularly traumatic. Gray nearly drowned in icy waters, the experience must have left it's mark on him because he discovered his ice abilities only half a decade after turning. Natsu was the same, though. His ability was fire. It wasn't surprising to Erza in the least when he accidentally set the guild on fire the first time, a mere 3 days after turning.

The girl reappeared from behind the greenery wearing the same outfit as before. Her smile radiated warmth as she skipped over to the man gleefully.

"Juvia got a job!" She sang. The man's eyes widened and a smile that was akin to a grandma eating wolf from a particular children's story spread tightly across his face.

"Oh, yeah? How'd ya manage that? Where'd ya go?" She danced cutely in place and twirled around.

"Juvia isn't sure exactly what made them want to hire her, but starting tomorrow she will be working at The Green Fairy!" She squealed excitedly.

"Gihi. That bar? Attagirl, Juves. I'm prouddaya." He ruffled her hair and began stripping off his shirt. Juvia turned away and puffed out her cheeks.

"Gajeel-kun, could you have some manners around Juvia?" She pouted. He laughed and shrugged.

"Juves, ya grew up inna pack a naked pups." He reasoned. She stamped her foot and rolled her eyes.

"And Gajeel-kun grew up with Juvia." She bit back. He nodded and sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll work on it. I'm goin' huntin'. Ya stayin' here?" He asked as he kicked off his boxers. Facing away from him, she nodded.

"Juvia will stay at the camp." She confirmed. He shrugged and stretched before being consumed in a white glowing light. When the light faded, a black wolf was revealed.

Gray bit his lip, feeling that his fears had been confirmed. But that wasn't the most important matter at the moment. She had said she was starting work for The Green Fairy tomorrow. That was owned by the Thunder Legion, a group belonging to his coven. The coven itself had nothing to do with the bar, It was solely under the control of the Master's grandson and his friends. They were known as the thunder legion because Laxus has the ability to control thunder and lightning. He was struck by lighting before turning... twice in the same spot. Makarov himself changed his grandson. Neither he nor Makarov were natural born. They were both created. Makarov was created by a kind nurse vampire named Mirajane over 200 years prior. Laxus was turned over 160 years ago.

The Thunder Legion is made up of a mix of monsters. Evergreen the Gorgon, Bixlow the child of Death and Freed the Dark Elf.

Freed was the first to join the coven of the three. He had long been separated from his kind and lived among humans. He had never even met anyone else of his kind before. He knew nothing of his parents or where he came from. He was raised by humans and had no knowledge of his heritage until after meeting Laxus. Laxus could tell that he wasn't human, but it was clear that he had no idea himself. Laxus took him to the coven one day and a tiny vampire by the name of Levy McGarden knew exactly what he was. She was a natural born, but she also never knew her parents. They had been killed by humans centuries ago before she was even a year old. She had been found and taken in by another Vampire, Gildarts. He brought her to the coven and got her set up there. She used her immortality wisely and studied everything she could get her hands on. She spoke so many languages that everyone lost count and her knowledge base was off the charts, which is why Laxus thought she was just the person to call. As expected, she was able to identify exactly what his species was in less than 5 minutes.

Evergreen Joined a few years after Freed. Freed was the one who brought her in, actually. She had wandered into the streets of town wearing a blindfold over her eyes and donned a tattered green tube dress. She was covered in dirt and blood, her long brown hair a knotted mess with leaves and twigs protruding from it. When he tried to remove her blindfold she went into a screaming fit and thrashed violently to get away from him. He persisted and eventually she calmed. It was quite the spectacle and the town remembered the event for years. As it turned out, Evergreen was a normal girl her entire life, or so she thought. You see, she wasn't a full Gorgon. She was well aware of her Gorgon heritage and thought it was fascinating, but was grateful that she wasn't cursed as her ancestors were. Her lineage, of course, began with Medusa who was cursed by the gods for her vanity. Stories will tell you that Hercules beheaded her, but that just wasn't the case. She trapped Hercules in her dwelling and kept him there until he eventually bent to her will. Medusa was lonely and what better a companion than Zeus and Hera's pride and joy? It was as much vengeance as she would ever get. It was Stockholm syndrome to the max, but if she hadn't done it, Evergreen wouldn't exist, so she couldn't complain. Nobody in her family had shared the Gorgon curse for centuries. The last one was in the early 1400's, so her family was quite certain that the curse had finally ended for good, but Evergreen wasn't so lucky.

One night Evergreen had gone out to a club opening with some friends. Around 3 AM she separated from her group to go home, but a man had followed her. When she came to a dark area by the park he ambushed her from behind. She screamed as loud as she could but he placed a hand tightly over her mouth. She fought hard, but he was stronger. She cursed her weakness and wished she were stronger, wished she really could turn him to stone and run. Like as if her wish had been heard by the gods, she felt a change within her. A coldness. Her vision changed as well. She could see the man's heat signature as he pinned her to the dirt. Her usually deep green eyes flashed a glowing gold, revealing reptilian pupils. Frightened, the man released her. She sat up in a panic, ready to run, but he shook off his fear, believing it was his imagination. He grabbed her ankle and she snapped her head around to look at him. In an instant he was turned into a statue. She screamed louder than she had when he first attacked her. She was cursed. She had to crumble his hand to pieces to escape. After that she ran away and tied a ripped strip of her dress around her eyes to protect those around her as she ran aimlessly. She stumbled and struggled through the woods for days before exiting into Magnolia where Freed found her. She has been with the coven ever since.

Bixlow was the last to join their ranks. Lucy brought him in. As an Angel of Death, she was close with his Father, Hades and his mother, Persephone. An Angel of Death's responsibility is to gather the souls of those who are scheduled to pass. Once the souls are collected, they bring them to Hades and Persephone to be ushered into the river of souls. A common term among humans for her kind are "reapers", but she never felt that term fit her image. It was a bit too hard core for her taste.

Bixlow was familiar with Lucy and had heard of her banishment. He had tried many times to leave the underworld, but his parents simply wouldn't allow it. They even went so far as to get a three headed guard dog to keep him in. Fluffy, as his father had so ironically named it, was a dreadful beast of burden. Nothing got past it, that is until one night Bixlow was sitting against the wall and staring at the portal between his hell and the outside world longingly, unable to do anything with Fluffy standing in the way. Out of boredom, he began to hum a melody that his mother would sing to him when he was young. He noticed that after a minute of humming, Fluffy's stance was faltering and all six of it's eyes were beginning to droop. He continued to hum, hoping that what he thought was happening was really happening. And it was! The beast fell asleep quickly and Bixlow managed to escape. He used his death ability to find Lucy's location. As the son of the God of Death and the Underworld, he was able to summon a cloud of smoke that would show him whoever he wished to seek out. He found her at a cafe in Magnolia with the soul that got away. She felt bad for him and knew he wanted to live his own life outside of the underworld, but she couldn't help him and defy his parents. She took him back to the underworld immediately, but tried her best to defend him. At first she was met with backlash from Hades, but Persephone saw Lucy's reasoning and understood her son's need. Eventually they both Gave Bixlow their blessing to leave and Lucy brought him to the coven.

Gray watched as Juvia gathered some water from the small stream by their make shift camp. She collected it in a decent sized pot and walked over to where a medium bonfire had been started. She reached out the pot and held it over the fire.

Having her work at The Green Fairy would certainly make it easier to keep an eye on her. They could ask Ever and the others to keep tabs if necessary, but Gray was feeling it wasn't necessary at all. There appeared to be only two of them and they seemed to just want to live a normal life. Gray couldn't find anything threatening about that.

He decided they would watch for the night to see if they could find out anything more. If his feeling was correct, they could report back good news to Makarov.

* * *

Lucy giggled behind her hand as Gray visibly relaxed against the rough bark of the tree. During dinner, the two wolves had revealed the nature of their relationship quite clearly. As they discussed their past memories together and happily planned out the future, it became apparent that their relationship was not only platonic, but familial.

Natsu snickered quietly behind his Angelic bride, reveling in his frenemy's misfortune. Gray had become family for Natsu after some time, just as the rest of Fairy Tail had. Family or not, Natsu still loved to pick fights with him.

From a few branches away, Erza watched Gray carefully. Wendy rested in her arms, having fallen asleep in the late hours. Despite the legends, Vampires actually slept like your average everyday humans. They weren't necessarily nocturnal, not naturally anyhow. The legend of the sun burning vampires was actually a legend spread by vampires themselves in order to better camouflage among the humans. If humans believed that vampires couldn't possibly walk in the light of day, vampires could exist openly without a single human being any the wiser.

Erza wasn't certain, but she felt there was something about that she wolf that was enticing to Gray. He was acting strangely in her presence. She had never seen him behave so ... it was as if he were bewitched. It wasn't in a were's power to charm any being, so what was going on? Erza also had noticed Natsu and Lucy's childish whisperings behind their backs. They knew something and she wanted to know what.

"You two... Why are you so amused? This is a very serious mission that the Master has given us. Why do you treat it so frivolously?" The scarlet haired vampress stood impressively well balanced on the branch beside the pair with Wendy still resting peacefully in her arms. Her appearance was of a caring mother, but her eyes read nothing but cold hard business. Lucy smiled without a care while Natsu clammed up immediately at the sound of Erza's voice.

"Haven't you noticed?" Lucy sang, pointing to Gray a few branches away. Erza shifted her position to face where the former Angel of Death was pointing.

"Indeed I have. His behavior is beyond abnormal. I also took notice of your behavior, Lucy... Natsu." Natsu gulped loudly when her dark cherry eyes landed on him and held.

"Us? We're not acting weird. Gray is the weirdo!" Natsu exclaimed. Lucy ruffled his cherry blossom hair and stood. She sprouted her wings to protect herself in case she lost her balance. Her large, raven feathers spread behind her, extending past Erza and Natsu on either side. Wendy sneezed as the wind caused Lucy's feathers to tickle her nose. Erza gently stroked the girl's hair and turned towards Lucy to keep Wendy away from her wings.

"Oh, that. Natsu also noticed Gray's behavior and was concerned..." She began.

"Was not!" He argued. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"He was. Anyways, he asked me to read him and I did. As it turns out, our little Graycicle is in love with the target." Lucy smiled smugly at the back of Gray's head. Erza's eyes widened in shock.

"A wolf... He has fallen for the she wolf?" She asked in disbelief. Lucy nodded.

"Aura's don't lie." She shrugged.

Erza watched Gray. His eyes never left the she wolf. Even as she slumbered, he continued to stare. It was unsettling. Without warning or so much as a goodbye, Erza swiftly, but carefully swung over to Gray's branch. Lucy flapped her wings to keep herself from falling backwards. The force from Erza's send off threw off her balance. Natsu quickly shot up from his sitting position and wrapped his arm around her waist. Her wings stopped flapping and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"She sure was in a hurry. You think she's mad?" Lucy asked short of breath. Natsu smiled and shook his head as he steadied his wife.

"Nah. You know Erza. She's probably just worried about him." He assured her. They could see Erza standing beside him, still carrying Wendy. They couldn't hear anything and their movement was minimal which told them that things must be going well.

Gray heard a thud beside him as Erza landed gracefully on his branch.

"Should you really be jumping around like that with a sleeping child in your arms?" He mumbled without averting his gaze from the sleeping blunette below. Erza narrowed her eyes at him.

"Should you really be giving your heart to the enemy?" She shot back. Finally his eyes snapped away from the wolf.

"I'm not giving my heart to anyone." He stated firmly. She smiled softly and glanced down at the object of his affections.

"Oh, really? Is lying to yourself something you do often?" She asked slyly. He groaned and looked back down at the girl.

"I'm not... I don't know how I feel." He sighed tiredly and rubbed his face. Erza nodded and sat beside him, adjusting Wendy in her lap.

"You love her, don't you? Lucy saw it in your aura." She pried. Gray shot around to stare at the couple behind him.

"Oi! Whattaya doin' readin' me like that, Lucy?!" He whisper shouted to her. She couldn't hear him, but Natsu could.

"Well if ya weren't actin' so weird we wouldn't have to!" Natsu defended.

Erza sighed and snapped her fingers to get his attention back to the question at hand.

"Gray, do you have feelings for this wolf?" Her tone was serious and laced with concern. He furrowed his brows and lowered his head.

"I might..." He admitted bitterly. She nodded.

Erza had nothing against wolves, but she worried how Gray's feelings for this girl would be recieved by the coven... Or by the girl.

* * *

The next morning, Erza developed a plan. She informed them all that all but Gray would return to the coven to report their findings. Nobody dared question her decision. As they all left, Erza pulled Gray aside.

"I want you to go to The Green Fairy. When you do, I want you to interact with her."

"Why?" He didn't understand what Erza's goal was with this request.

"I want you to see how she reacts to you. Surely she will smell you and know what you are. I just want to be sure that you stand a chance." She stated matter of factly.

"Thanks... I think..." He deadpanned.

"I will speak with Makarov personally on the matter of the possible relationship between one of our own and a wolf." She decided.

"What relationship?! Hold on!" He argued. She shook her head and held up her hand.

"You feel for her. If there is any chance at all that she could possibly one day feel the same, I want to ensure that she will have a place in our family, in your family, Gray."

He was at a loss for words. He tried to speak but all that came out was garbled sounds.

"No need to thank me. Now, go to her. Her shift started an hour ago. Evergreen will understand." She patted his shoulder and jumped from the tree to follow the others.

Now that he was alone, he had time to think about what this all meant. He was in love with a woman he bumped into on the street, a woman whom he watched transform into a wolf not once but twice, a woman whom he was sent to spy on, a woman who made him feel as if his heart could beat even though it never would again. He was in love with a woman who was the enemy of his kind and now he was going to meet her, officially.

* * *

"Master, we have our report." Erza announced as she lead the team into the office.

"That was fast. Only a single night?" He stroked his beard slowly, waiting for Erza to continue the report.

"Indeed, sir. Gray was correct in his observation. There is a she wolf in Magnolia and we discovered she is not alone, however, she is only accompanied by a single wolf. A male who appears to be a sibling of sorts."

"Hmm... And there were no obvious signs or implications of hostility?" He stood atop his desk to give himself some height.

"None at all. In fact, it appears they do not belong to a pack and are simply trying to build a life for themselves. The female even applied for a job at the Thunder Legion's bar." She informed him.

"She is going to work at The Green Fairy?! How could Evergreen be so careless!" He shouted. He knew that Evergreen would hire anyone as long as they weren't human. It was easier for them to work if the others also had secrets to keep. No chance of anyone screaming monster from the back room.

"Now, Master, they really do seem well meaning. Perhaps it would do us well to be civil, would it not?" Erza knew the Master would require some persuasion. His face was souring by the second.

"I'd like to have a word, sir." She asked politely. He grumbled but nodded. She sent out the others and slowly turned to face the tiny man on the desk with his hands behind his back.

"Sir, something else happened while we were out there." her voice was low, but audible.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"Master, it would appear that Gray has developed romantic feelings for the she wolf,"

"HE DID WHAT?! SO SOON?!" He yelled in a fit of rage. Erza winced and nodded.

"Sir, I feel this could be beneficial for our kind and theirs. Don't you?"

Makarov closed his eyes and shook his head angrily.

"Erza, it's not that simple. This is not a peace treaty between kingdoms, this is an ancient feud between species. We cannot expect one relationship to fix thousands of years of bad blood."

"Sir, I understand that a single relationship will not correct this feud, however I believe it could be a progressive step in the right direction for us, our coven."

Makarov really couldn't see how. He narrowed his eyes and waited.

"Master, we are known to be a very accepting coven and we truly are, however perhaps it is time we also extended our hand to the wolves as well."

"And perhaps our hands will be bitten. I don't want to hear another word on this. You are dismissed." Makarov turned away and jumped from his desk to the floor.

"But, sir-" She persisted.

"DISMISSED."

* * *

Gray entered the bar feeling a nervous mess. What if she recognized his scent from that day and panicked? What if she hated vampires? There were so many things that could go wrong and so little that could go right.

As he entered the bar, Evergreen greeted him.

"Pleasure seeing you here. Is the world coming to an end?" She asked dryly. Gray never did visit the bar often. Fairy Tail had it's own bar inside their building, so he never found reason to stop in before. Plus, as a vampire he was an exclusive blood drinker. The Green Fairy didn't exactly cater to him... Not openly anyhow.

"Funny, snake eyes. I'll have a bloody mary." He grumbled as he found a seat at the bar. She smirked and adjusted her glasses.

"As you wish, frosty the undead snowman." Ever disappeared into the back where they kept the blood supply in the fridge. Shortly after, Juvia emerged from the kitchen with a platter of wings. She stilled as soon as she entered. She could smell the vampire from before. He was here.

Gray noticed her staring, but kept his head low. He didn't want to alarm her or act as if he recognized her.

He never looked up from the bar, so Juvia slowly rounded the bar to serve the customers that were waiting on her a few tables away. Ever reentered the bar and set down the class of blood with a stick of celery sticking out in front of him. She noticed his uncomfortable and clearly forced body language.

"Gray, all jokes aside, are you alright?" She expressed genuine concern for him. Sure, they enjoyed messing with each other, but the Thunder Legion was just as close with the rest of the coven as they were with each other.

"Fine." He grumbled under his breath. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was absolutely terrified to engage a conversation with the she wolf.

Juvia carefully rounded the bar and once again entered the back room. Gray's body seemed to tense as she passed and his eyes followed her until she disappeared. Ever noticed this immediately.

"Is it because she's a wolf?" She asked. Gray shook his head.

"Nah. I don't care about that. That's not it."

"Well, then why are you acting like you have cactus shoved up your ass?" She crossed her arms and cocked her hip to the side. Gray rolled his eyes.

"I'm not." He insisted.

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Juvia reentered the room and stared wide eyed at the scene before her. The vampire and strange woman were arguing like children and she had no idea why.

"Juvia can come back..." She pointed to the back room awkwardly over her shoulder. Ever smiled and shook her head as she wrapped an arm around Juvia's shoulders.

"No, no... Stay. Juvia, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. Stick in the mud, Juvia. Juvia, Stick in the mud."

Gray groaned internally, wanting nothing more than to freeze Evergreen into an ice sculpture.

"It's Gray... My name is Gray." He corrected, annoyed.

Feeling as if perhaps he truly was friendly, Juvia lowered her guard.

"It's nice to meet you, Gray-sama." She smiled so sweetly at him. Gray was in awe.

"Yeah, you too..." He mumbled. Evergreen covered her mouth and smiled. She knew what this was. Gray liked her.

"Juvia, why don't you take a break. Gray, do you mind filling her in on everything? She is new after all."

Gray and Juvia both stared at her in bewilderment.

"Everything?" Gray asked warily. Ever nodded.

"Everything." She confirmed. Juvia went to protest, but Ever shooed them out of the bar. Gray didn't even get to drink his bloody mary.

* * *

"So, I'm sure you guessed by now that I am a vampire..." Gray was nervous but tried to keep his voice strong and confident.

"And Juvia supposes you know that she is a wolf." She replied slowly. He nodded.

"When I bumped into you, I have to admit... I had no idea what you were. I have never been near a wolf before." He began to internally panic when he saw her face twist in confusion.

"How did you find out?" She asked suspiciously.

"Don't be mad... I kinda followed you. I was curious! I just thought if I followed you to wherever you were going that maybe you would reveal what you were." All the strength left his voice and in this moment he was merely a pathetic dweeb who had been caught peeping in the girl's locker room in some half ass high school.

Juvia's face went from it's usual snow white to blood red in an instant.

"Gray-sama watched Juvia transform... it was you in the woods..." She whispered to herself. Gray scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I'm re-" He began.

"Gray-sama saw Juvia NAKED!" She wailed. Of all the things Juvia could panic about, she was most upset about him seeing her in her birthday suit. '

"So..rry.." His voice trailed off. Oh, right. He had seen her naked. Twice. Perhaps there is no need to mention the second time... Yeah... Better not.

"Juvia didn't know anyone was there! She was scared and wanted to get back to camp quickly." She blubbered. Her tears were beginning to attract unwanted human attention from the street, she he carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her into the ally behind the bar. Sure it was a shady spot, but no humans would be around.

"Oi, stop crying. I am the one who should be explaining, not you." He gently rubbed circles on her back in an attempt to calm her. It seemed to work because her crying slowly came to an end.

"Thank, Juvia is just a little... embarrassed." She admitted.

"Embarrassed? Shouldn't you be mad?" Every woman he has ever known was definitely the type to kick your ass if you even caught so much as a nip slip. He followed this girl without her knowledge or consent, watched her strip and then transform into a fluffy wolf and yet she was simply embarrassed. He didn't know what to feel.

"Oh, well, normally Juvia would, but she understands that your intentions were not impure...You had no way of knowing that Juvia would be in the nude."

Gray could not believe she let him off the hook like that. She was right, his intentions weren't impure at all, but still.

"R-right. Still, I'm sorry." He stammered, embarrassing himself further.

"All is forgiven... So, the vampires here... Are they friendly, to those like Juvia? Or... Is it just you?" She asked hopefully.

"Uh, well... It's complicated. Some of us are, some of us are indifferent on the matter and others... Not so accepting." He explained.

"Oh... So, vampires have covens like wolves have packs, right? Does Gray-sama belong to a coven?"

"Uh, yeah. Fairy Tail. Not all of us are vampires, though. Evergreen and her other two pals, Freed and Bixlow are also part of our coven." He grinned.

Juvia gasped and wrung her hands sheepishly.

"Juvia was too embarrassed to ask, but what are they?" She looked so timid, her cheeks a flaring crimson as she looked to the ground. It only made her all the more alluring.

"Well, Evergreen is a gorgon. That's why she has those weird snake eyes. One look without her glasses and you'll end up a lawn ornament. She can reverse it though, so no worries."

Juvia finally understood what she had meant when she said "turn to stone". It also now made sense that the guy she had met in the back earlier, Bixlow, looked exactly like the statue from before.

"And Bixlow? What is he?"

"He's pretty interesting. Have you heard of the God of the Underworld, Hades and his wife, the Goddess, Persephone?" Gray did feel pretty smug about having a God in their coven.

"Um, yes... Juvia remembers Olivia-san teaching us a little about them when we were pups. Oh, Olivia-san was ... the closest thing Juvia had to a mother. She's... gone." She frowned and looked away from him.

"I'm... Sorry. I didn't mean to-" Gray felt like shoving rocks in his mouth. Juvia held her hands up and waved them in front of her realizing that she had just soured the mood.

"No, no. Juvia shouldn't have... please. Continue." She grabbed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. Gray froze upon contact. Juvia immediately pulled away, fearing that she had upset him.

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting that." He tried to reassure her.

"Oh." Juvia giggled nervously. He was really nice and very attractive if she were being honest. She worried how Gajeel would react.

"Anyway, Bixlow is their kid." He continued Juvia looked back at the building in shock.

"So, Bixlow is a god?"

"Yep. The real deal." He stated proudly. Juvia seemed thoroughly impressed.

"And what about Freed? Juvia hasn't met him yet."

"Freed is a dark elf. He grew up in the city with humans, so he is still learning about his background, but his kind are usually from the deep forests of Alakitasia." Everything that came out of his mouth he had heard from Levy. He personally didn't know shit about dark elves, or any elves for that matter.

"Oh! Juvia has only ever known other wolves and humans. She has had experience with vampires once, but she was so young... and it didn't end well.." Once again, Juvia had successfully killed the mood.

Gray had an idea what she meant by that and it made him feel secondhand guilt. Sure, he wasn't the vampire that wronged her or her family, but he was a vampire still. Juvia could see that he caught her drift and she instantly felt bad for bringing it up.

"Juvia keeps upsetting Gray-sama. She is so sorry. She is just very honest and sometimes has a hard time understanding when to stay silent." She wrung her hands nervously and twisted from side to side.

"You aren't upsetting me. Our kind aren't exactly famous for getting along. I get it." He did feel bad, but it wasn't her fault. Even if it hadn't been a bad experience with vampires he still would have felt for her. He knew that not all wolves were like her, just as not all vampires were like him, but he was more than grateful that she was his first wolf encounter. After meeting her, he was feeling a bit more optimistic about the future for them. She didn't seem to be opposed to him, in fact, she initiated physical contact. Perhaps he had a chance after all. He hoped that Erza was making some progress with the master on the matter.

* * *

"Well, if Master won't listen to reason from me, perhaps he will listen to reason from him..." Erza began journeying towards a familiar place, her old home of Rosemary Village. She lived there centuries ago, it was where she was born and raised. In her old home town, her childhood friend, Jellal, had his own coven established. It wasn't a vampire coven, though. It was a haven for monsters of all kind. He called it Crime Sorciere.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I finally finished it! I had 4000 words of this written as well as 4000 words of the next chapters of Thirsting Fates and The Sea Fairies before I moved last week, so last night I decided to get back to work since I have settled into Kansas over the weekend.

I hope this turned out well!


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